GIULIA · VELAR · KODIAQ · A7 · MX-5 · SWIFT SPORT
This month it’s hello to the Giulia, goodbye to the A7 and Swift Sport, and the Ateca and Kodiaq have a bit of a tussle
HELL O £ 33,190 OTR/£39,270 as tested/£452pcm WHY IT’ S HERE Is a standard Giulia as brilliant as the QV? DRIVER Esther Neve SOME OF YOU WILL RECALL THAT A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK, WE
were lucky enough to run an Alfa Romeo Giulia QV. Well, I say “lucky”... the truth is, as lovely as it was, it did break down on us on more than one occasion. And as a result, it did also cause us a notable amount of stress.
However, we did still love it. The question was: did we love it because it was the QV or because it was a Giulia? Well, with the arrival of RX68 HJY, that’s something we’re looking forward to finding out.
Our new Alfa Romeo Giulia was specced by TopGear Garage Captain Ollie Kew to be an everyman version. Therefore, the bottom-specification Giulia Super 2.0 turbo you see here has 198bhp and 244lb ft of torque. It costs £33,190 before options; after options, it costs £39,270. According to Hitachi Capital Finance, an optionless version of this car on a monthly deal will cost £452 (six months’ deposit, 10,000 miles per year). As ever, if you’re signing up to PCP or PCH, best to ensure you have enough mileage for your lifestyle.
Options added to the car are Montecarlo Blue paint (£695), 17-inch seven-hole alloy wheels (£395), Climate Pack (£250), electrically adjustable seats (£650), Cold Weather Pack (£550), Sport Pack (£975), Driver Assistance Pack Plus (£950), yellow brake calipers (£450), electrically adjustable and folding door mirrors (£275) and active cruise control (£890). Six months with them will enlighten us as to whether they’re worth the extra cash.
So far, only three of us in the office have driven the Giulia – Ollie Kew, Tom Cobbe and I. All reports have been positive. In the six months we’ll have the Giulia, there’ll be a brand-new BMW 3-Series, the facelifted Jag XE and the fresh Volvo S60 will land in the UK – can the Alfa compete?